1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to image processing systems and techniques live video and computer generated imagery. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and techniques for providing live image data in a computer generated environment.
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 5,966,130 entitled Integrated Virtual Networks issued Jul. 21, 1998, to W. J. Benman, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference and hereinafter referred to as the ""130 patent discloses and claims a computer-based system which allows a user to see a realistic three-dimensional representation of an environment, such as an office, on a computer screen. Real world functionality is mapped onto numerous objects in the environment with a motion based input system allowing the user to use the objects in the environment (e.g., computer, desk, file cabinets, documents, etc.) in same manner as the objects would be used in the real world.
In addition, Benman""s system allows the user to travel into the work areas of coworkers and see and interact with live images of the coworkers in the environment. In order to display an image of the user or a coworker in the environment, it is necessary to remove any background imagery inconsistent with the computer-generated environment from the transplanted image prior to display. For example, if the coworker is in a remote office using a computer equipped with software effective to create a virtual environment as described by Benman, and the user has a wall, window, bookshelf or other scene in the background, that information would have to be removed in order to place the person""s image into the virtual environment in such a way as to create an image of the person sitting in the computer generated office environment.
Use of monochromatic (e.g., blue and green) screens have been used in television and film productions to extract a foreground image and overlay it over a background image. For example, this process is used daily in television to allow a person standing in front of a blue screen to have their image extracted and combined with a video image of a map to provide a weather report.
However, it would be impractical to require each coworker located in an office, hotel, home or other environment to have a monochromatic background. Accordingly, there was a need for an image processing system or technique which could transplant a desired image from one scene into another scene regardless of the background in the first scene. The need in the art was addressed by Benman in copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/363,456 filed Jul. 29, 1999, and entitled SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EXTRACTING IMAGES WITHOUT MONOCHROMATIC BACKGROUND hereinafter the ""456 application. This application discloses and claims a novel method for extracting a foreground image from a background environment using a novel image processing system which does not require use of a monochromatic screen.
However, a need remains for a system and method for transplanting the uniquely extracted foreground image into a computer-generated (virtual) environment in real time.
Further, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/190,586, filed Mar. 20, 2000 by Benman and entitled Functional Three-Dimensional Web Site with Dynamic Image Extraction and Transplantation hereinafter the xe2x80x98Web sitexe2x80x99 application, disclosed and claimed a novel system and method for creating a community experience in a web based virtual world. To realize the vision proposed by Benman in the Web site application, a technique is needed for simulating navigation (e.g., walking) of a user in the environment with the same degree of realism to be provided in virtual face-to-face interaction in the environment.
With multiple users walking around in the environment, a system is needed for changing the realistic appearance of the user as the user walks past a viewer without resort to use of animated characters, robot like avatars or three-dimensional icons as is common in the art.
Further, inasmuch as the system is to be implemented on a large scale, multiple simultaneous streams of live image data will have to be routed through a server. This could place inordinate demands on the throughput of the system and the processing power thereof. Hence, there will be a need for a system for effecting stream routing without requiring each stream to go through a dedicated server.
Finally, there will be a need for further improvements to the environment to add realism while taking advantage of the power afforded by the creation and control of the world in cyberspace.
The need in the art is addressed by the system and method of the present invention. One aspect of the invention is a system for transplanting extracted video image data. The system includes hardware and software for providing a multidimensional computer generated environment and for receiving a plurality of extracted video images. The system is adapted to transplant the extracted video images into the environment in a manner that preserves the virtual metaphor thereof.
In the illustrative embodiment, a realistic virtual city is created in accordance with the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) protocol. The extracted images are transplanted onto an object in the environment as a texture. In the best mode, the object is invisible. The extracted video images are streamed continuously into the environment such that a live real time interaction is enabled. The environment is networked and the system is adapted to receive multiple simultaneous streams which are transplanted and exported to enable a virtual community.
Within the community, users seated in their native environment, appear to walk when navigating due to the unique teaching of the present invention by which a series of stored extracted images of the user walking are transplanted into the environment and replayed for so long as the user is navigating. A separate series is displayed to each person within a predetermined range of the walker that has the walker in his field of view depending on the viewing angle of the observer.
A master copy of the environment is stored on a server and downloaded to each client on the network as part of a setup process. Thereafter, local changes in the environment are uploaded to the server and subsequently downloaded to selected clients as updates. The environment will support private areas and the system is adapted to allow extracted video streams within private environments to be sent to each person in the private environment directly, bypassing the server.
Additional features of the invention include a system for adjusting the height and color of buildings in the virtual environment based on the amount of average and instantaneous traffic therethrough.
The invention may be implemented on the Internet, an Intranet, a broadcast or multi-cast wired or wireless network.